It is well known to provide a frame for supporting a sheet of cloth fabric which is to be the background or base medium for needlework. The general objective is to provide a frame which holds the fabric in a flat position such that both sides of the fabric are available, permitting the needle to be alternately inserted from opposite sides.
One such frame is shown in co-pending U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 161,619, filed Feb. 29, 1988, in the name of the present applicant. This frame is particularly advantageous in that it provides generally parallel side members and cylindrical top and bottom members, forming a rectangular frame, with pieces of fabric permanently attached to the top and bottom members to which the needlework fabric can be temporarily stitched. The top and bottom members can be loosened and rotated to roll part of the needlework fabric onto one or both of these members, permitting the needlework fabric to be scrolled from the top to the bottom, for example, as the work progresses.
The structure shown in the above-identified application can be made so that the frame is in any one of a number of sizes. Normally, the end members are about the same size, but the top and bottom members can be made in various lengths to accommodate needlework projects of various sizes. It has been customary to supply a needlework frame with a needlework base which is dimensioned to support the frame so that the upstanding arms of the base, to which the frame is attached, are spaced apart the proper distance to receive the frame. Thus, one might purchase a 13 in. frame and a 13 in. base, a 22 in. frame and a 22 in. base, etc.
While these matching frame and base structures work very well, the need to purchase a new base with each new frame of a different size involves additional expense for the purchaser and also requires additional storage for the bases which are not being used. Many users choose to have more than one project in progress at any given time, sometimes on frames of different sizes, and it becomes necessary to either transport or store each entire frame and base structure rather than just the frame itself.